Friday Report: 'No Strings Attached' Benefits

by Brandon Gray

No Strings Attached

January 22, 2011

On Friday, listlessness pervaded the box office again. The sole major new release, No Strings Attached, was on top with a decent showing, and it was business as usual for the holdovers. Overall, Friday box office was down around 27 percent from the same Friday last year, when Avatar led again.

No Strings Attached attracted an estimated $7.3 million on approximately 3,500 screens at 3,018 locations. That was in the same range as Ashton Kutcher's What Happens in Vegas ($7.2 million) and Just Married ($6.3 million), though both of those pictures had greater attendance. Top-billed Natalie Portman doesn't have any comparable titles in her credits, though No Strings is on track to have her second-highest grossing opening in a promoted lead role, following V for Vendetta.

In second, The Green Hornet pulled in an estimated $5.1 million, down 54 percent from last Friday. The Seth Rogen vehicle held better than Kick-Ass and, with $50.4 million in eight days, surpassed its final tally to become the top-grossing live-action superhero comedy on record.

The Dilemma continued its mediocre run, dipping 51 percent to an estimated $3 million for a $26.7 million tally in eight days. The King's Speech, on the other hand, had the best hold among nationwide releases, easing 13 percent to an estimated $2.1 million, and its sum grew to $51.6 million in 57 days. True Grit made a smidgeon less, slowing 35 percent to an estimated $2.1 million, and its haul climbed to $132.7 million in 31 days. Portman's other movie, Black Swan, was sixth with $1.8 million, off 27 percent. It's made $79.1 million in 50 days, more than what No Strings Attached is likely to do in its entire run.